Ryan Hayes Writing Minor

After reading the book Rocket Boys and watching the movie October Sky countless times, I've grown to hold the highest respect for the protagonist of this real life tale, Homer Hickam.  Growing up in Coalwood, Virginia, Homer's future along with anyone in the town was seemingly bound to the mine.  In the heat of the space race, Homer became enamored by Sputnik and the sky above.  With his rag tag group of friends, he managed to win the National Science Fair, propelling reality towards his dreams- college scholarships, NASA and a lifetime of achievement.

 

 

The story of Homer Hickam almost sounds as if it was a fictional tale.  It's poetic that his destiny stood at a fork between working miles under the surface in a mine or to be in the sky above.  I'm sometimes overwhelmed about life.  How that in two years I will be out of school, starting my career and living the rest of my life, and I'm scared about the uncertainty of the future.  But I'm inspired because a man with nothing, with the world working against him, was able to accomplish his dreams.  I don't dream of going to space, or being a scientist, but I do dream.  The truth I've learned from Homer's story is that commitment and persistence is the catalyst for success.

 

The story of Homer Hickam gives me the drive to pursue, to do.  Legacy is perspective cemented into history by action.  Homer Hickam inspires me.